College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion

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AYURVEDIC FOODS

Potato Benefits (According to Ayurveda)

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Customer Reviews

5.00 out of 5 stars

"I had an upset stomach today and without looking up anything I went straight for a baked potato with lots of freshly..."

- Teresa Ferlotti, Fuquay varina, NC full start review

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1. Ayurvedic Perspective

2. Biocharacteristics & Herbal Actions

3. Similar foods and herbs

4. Impact: On tongue, nerves, elimination, etc.

5. Indications / Benefits

6. Contraindications / Aggravates

7. Comments and reviews

How Does This Ayurvedic Food Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Recipes with Potato: Parsnip, Potato & Carrot Soup with Turmeric

Causes Weight Gain

The abundance of starch in potato and their high glycemic index cause weight gain.This heaviness puts you to sleep and can slow digestion.

Cools Inflammation

Potatoes, un-remedied by spices and cooking, cause gas and weight gain. They are naturally astringent, a unique quality among starches. Potatoes are also soothing and demulcent, making them useful for cooling inflammation in the GI tract.

Digestibility of Potatoes

The fiber content of potatoes aids regular elimination, while their astringency binds overly loose stools. The heaviness of potatoes, un-remedied by spices, makes them difficult to digest for Vata. In that case, add spices like turmeric, cumin or black pepper. Salt and lime juice can help, as well as pureeing potatoes with water for a thin potato soup. As with all members of the nightshade family, eat sparingly if you have a weak liver or arthritis.

Buying & Preparation

Watch out for mushy patches. The green color beneath the potato skin is poisonous - always peel your potatoes especially if you have a weak liver or arthritis. The skins are also difficult to digest. You'll still get plenty of vitimins if you eat a balanced diet.

Cooking Potato

For Ayurvedic mashed potatoes try mashing cooked potatoes with almond milk and ghee, instead of cream and butter. Asafoetida, otherwise known as hing, is a ideal spice for potato that improves both flavor and digestibility. Add some ghee and fresh green onion, and your dinner will be delicious and easy on your body.

Be sure to cook until slightly mushy all the way through. Undercooked potatoes are very difficult to digest.

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Is Potato Good for My Ayurvedic Diet?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether 'Potato' is a good fit. Complete the basic quiz in 1 minute, or go deeper with additional quizzes at your own leisure to learn more about your body.

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AYURVEDA'S GUIDE TO VITALITY & WHOLESOME NOURISHMENT

Your Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body and your specific imbalances. With an Ayurvedic diet you feel joy and satisfaction because what you are eating truly nourishes and balances you. Disease results from diets and lifestyles that are incompatible with your nature. By eating a personalized diet matched to your body, you experience optimal health. See How it Works.

SERVING SIZE: 1/2 whole

SPECIES: Solanum tuberosum

FAMILY: Solanaceae

MEAL: LUNCH-DINNER

PREPARATION: SOUP

EAT IN: AUTUMN-WINTER

FOR OCCASION: ON-THE-MEND

Metabolic Nature of Potato

See a complete list of all biocharacteristics.

INCREASES Increases These Biocharacteristics (Gunas) Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which characteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every characteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite characteristic. Learn More	DRY ABOUT DRY BIOCHARACTERISTIC Dry is identified by lack of moisture, lack of fat, or anything that causes diuresis. LEARN MORE ABOUT DRY COLD ABOUT COLD BIOCHARACTERISTIC Cold refers to anything that reduces body temperature, metabolism, and blood flow. LEARN MORE ABOUT COLD HEAVY ABOUT HEAVY BIOCHARACTERISTIC Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY
TASTES The 6 Tastes Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below? Learn More	SWEET ABOUT SWEET BIOCHARACTERISTIC Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET ASTRINGENT ABOUT ASTRINGENT BIOCHARACTERISTIC Astringency is characterized by constriction, drawing together, or drying. LEARN MORE ABOUT ASTRINGENT
DOSHAS The Three Doshas / Body Types According to the biocharacteristic theory of medicine, people tend to get sick, over and over again, due to habitual causes and imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history. The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. They are easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. They tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. If they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Anabolic people tend to be stable and grounded. Learn More	PACIFIES AGGRAVATES
HAS THE FOLLOWING	Tissue (dhatu): Blood Plasma Lymph BLOOD-PLASMA-LYMPH Plasma (Rasa Dhatu) includes plasma, white blood cells, and lymph. SEE ALL 'BLOOD-PLASMA-LYMPH' FOODS / HERBS Affinity: Energy Vitality ENERGY-VITALITY Includes vitality improving foods, herbs, and exercises by dosha. SEE ALL 'ENERGY-VITALITY' FOODS / HERBS Family: Solanaceae
HERBAL ACTIONS (see all)	Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Potato Experiences are Personal Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition. Mind, Stress & Sleep: Makes You Tired STRONG MAKES-YOU-TIRED Induces drowsiness and promotes sound sleep. SEE ALL 'MAKES-YOU-TIRED' FOODS / HERBS , Nerve Relaxant Grounding STRONG NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth. Reduces agitation, irritation, stress and racing thoughts. SEE ALL 'NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING' FOODS / HERBS , Sedative SEDATIVE Sedative herbs create a sense of calm in the mind and body by specifically calming or quieting the nervous system. Excellent for anxiety, stress and chronic pain. SEE ALL 'SEDATIVE' FOODS / HERBS Energy Vitality: Satisfies Stomach STRONG SATISFIES-STOMACH Provides a sense of gratification and fullness in the stomach. SEE ALL 'SATISFIES-STOMACH' FOODS / HERBS , Nutritive NUTRITIVE An herb that is strengthening and nourishing. SEE ALL 'NUTRITIVE' FOODS / HERBS Skin Care & Beauty: Demulcent MILD DEMULCENT Herbs that coat or form a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane. SEE ALL 'DEMULCENT' FOODS / HERBS Heart & Circulation: Antioxidant ANTIOXIDANT An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits oxidation. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals that lead to a chain reaction causing damage or death to cells. Antioxidants terminate these oxidation reactions. SEE ALL 'ANTIOXIDANT' FOODS / HERBS , Styptic STYPTIC A herb that contracts tissue or blood vessels. Generally styptics are astringent. They are often used topically as a hemostatic to stop bleeding, or to reduce secretions. SEE ALL 'STYPTIC' FOODS / HERBS Constituents: Carbohydrate, Phosphorous, Potassium, Soluble Fiber, Vitamin C

Foods with a Similar Nature to Potato

Oat Flour

Oat Flour has these Actions in Common

Makes-you-tired, Sedative, Nutritive, Demulcent, Satisfies-stomach

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Spelt Flour

Spelt Flour has these Actions in Common

Demulcent, Satisfies-stomach, Makes-you-tired, Sedative, Nutritive

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White Flour (wheat)

White Flour (wheat) has these Actions in Common

Demulcent, Satisfies-stomach, Makes-you-tired, Sedative, Nutritive

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Cream of Wheat

Cream of Wheat has these Actions in Common

Makes-you-tired, Sedative, Nutritive, Demulcent, Satisfies-stomach

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Whole Wheat Flour

Whole Wheat Flour has these Actions in Common

Nutritive, Demulcent, Satisfies-stomach, Makes-you-tired, Sedative

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Buffalo Milk

Buffalo Milk has these Actions in Common

Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Demulcent, Nutritive, Makes-you-tired, Satisfies-stomach

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Pumpkin

Pumpkin has these Actions in Common

Nutritive, Makes-you-tired, Satisfies-stomach, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Sedative

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Hemp Seed

Hemp Seed has these Actions in Common

Makes-you-tired, Satisfies-stomach, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Sedative, Nutritive

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Oats / Oatmeal

Oats / Oatmeal has these Actions in Common

Nutritive, Demulcent, Satisfies-stomach, Makes-you-tired, Sedative

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Poppy Seed

Poppy Seed has these Actions in Common

Makes-you-tired, Styptic, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Antioxidant, Sedative

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Herb Supplements with a Similar Nature to Potato

California Poppy

California Poppy has these Actions in Common

Antioxidant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Sedative, Styptic

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Gokshura

Gokshura has these Actions in Common

Demulcent, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nutritive, Sedative

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Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha has these Actions in Common

Antioxidant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nutritive, Sedative

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Shirodhara Treatment

Shirodhara Treatment has these Actions in Common

Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nutritive, Sedative

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Bala Taila

Bala Taila has these Actions in Common

Antioxidant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nutritive

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Self Massage

Self Massage has these Actions in Common

Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nutritive, Sedative

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Mullein

Mullein has these Actions in Common

Demulcent, Sedative, Styptic

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Vata Shirodhara Oil

Vata Shirodhara Oil has these Actions in Common

Demulcent, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nutritive

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Kava Kava

Kava Kava has these Actions in Common

Makes-you-tired, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Sedative

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Oats, Fresh Milky Seed

Oats, Fresh Milky Seed has these Actions in Common

Nutritive, Sedative, Nerve-relaxant-grounding

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Shatavari

Shatavari has these Actions in Common

Demulcent, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nutritive

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Impact of Potato

In each clinical research trial below, students from the Joyful Belly School of Ayurveda ate the selected food for 3 days and reported the pharmacological effects. See other clinical research trials for diet & herbs at Joyful Belly.